The Forsaken
by JustLikePagliacciDid
Summary: Link's soul is broken. Is it beyond redemption? WARNING: Contains strong violence and some sexuality.
1. Forsaken

**The Forsaken**

Zelda ran through the streets of Market Town. Could he have finally returned? The boy that had left in search of Navi, so many years ago, was back. His clothes were tattered and rent. A strange sword was slung across his back, bone white and covered with runes.

A sense of foreboding was in the back of Zelda's mind, but she shut it out. How could Link have evil intentions? She sprinted through the streets to where Link was standing. His eyes were shrouded beneath a dark hood, face cast down.

"Link, oh Link, I've missed you so!" Zelda yelled, as she embraced him. She stood back, beaming. Link looked up, a single eye staring out of the cloak.

"So many tears I've shed over you…" Link said, as a look of confusion crossed Zelda's face, "but those thoughts of vengeance have left my mind."

Link raised the hood, and Zelda gasped. A black tattoo circle surrounded his eye connected to three curving, intertwining lines descending his face. The three lines were connected to a circle and his palm.

Zelda stepped back, alarmed. Without warning, Link drew the runeblade from his back and slammed it into Zelda's skull, splitting it. She crumpled to the ground. Impa came around the bend, and gasped as Link began to sheath the bloody sword. She dived at Link's back, drawing a long knife. Link swung the blade around and impaled Impa on it, killing her instantly. Both the princess and her nursemaid lay dead. Link ignored the nursemaid, and fell by Zelda's side. He hoisted the princess's corpse in a firemen's lift, and murmured a spell. As guards rushed into the town square, Link disappeared in a flash of light.

**A Form of Life**

He is not but a machine now. The vast computer once called a mind sends commands to the machine of the body, which consumes the necessary fuel to continue functioning.

How could one have fallen so far? The Triforce holder has walked the void of the dark realm and the deserts of darkness. His journeys carried him far and wide, and eternal suffering greeted him at every doorstep. Liberation is a long forgotten dream. Feelings… emotions… love… their meaning escapes him. A ravenous hunger and an ultimate hatred replaced them.

Good and evil are points of view, not forces that govern the universe.

Link appeared in the graveyard in Kakariko village. He rested Zelda's corpse in front of the Royal Family's headstone. He placed five candles in a pentagram around Zelda's body, and began reciting a long and complex spell. It infused a form of life into a corpse.

Link completed the spell's final words. He watched the body rise into the air and land on its feat. With a blinding flash, Zelda became a reflection of her shadow. Her skin was a dark navy blue. She had red pupils, jet black hair, and a skin-tight grey outfit.

"I daresay you are one of my most successful creations," Link said, smirking, "The other ones were missing various… ahem … 'organs'."

"I'm not missing anything, my mate," she said, pulling Link closer. Link withdrew, and recited a short spell. They appeared in a small camp in the woods.

"A little privacy," Link said, grinning, as the two circled. Then, they fell upon each other with a twisted love.

The next morning, Link and his new mate were in an abandoned house.

"What did you do to me, exactly?" Zelda said.

"A spell," mused Link, "that raises a shadow of a dead person's soul. It happened to me."

"What's next?" asked Zelda. "Shall we start a new species?" she said seductively.

"Not yet, my queen," returned the fallen hero, winking, "First, we shall make Hyrule our own."

And so Link began to forge his vile army, summoning demons from world's beyond our own. He found various Hylians lost and woods and twisted them into those like himself. He abstained from further romance with Zelda, telling her the time was not yet right. His army grew in proportion, from 100 to 100,000.

His army began to spread across Hyrule, burning villages and slaughtering all resistance. The King threw wave upon wave of armies at Link's horde, but to no avail. Soon Link's army was around the castle. Link's army charged the castle, firing crude catapults and raining destruction on the castle. His army, ranging from skeletal monsters to pale-skinned Knights of Darkness, assaulted the walls, taking the town one segment at a time.

Hours later, Link walked into the captured castle, where the King and Queen waited in the throne room, guarded by Link's own knights. As Link and Zelda entered, the two monarchs gasped.

"What have you done with my daughter!" the king shouted.

"Tsk, Tsk," said Link, "you're in a foul mood. I believe that she is _my_ queen now, and not _your_ daughter." Link and Zelda locked lips in a deep kiss, to add insult to injury.

"I'll- I'll- make you-" the king huffed, his face turning red.

Link simply turned his back on the king, saying, "Lock him and his _wife_ in the dungeon. See that they don't escape."

**Dawn of the Forsaken**

The King carefully manipulated the lock. He was better at this in his youth when Hyrule was at war. Finally, the lock clicked open, and stepped outside. He waited in the shadows as the guard passed, and stole onto the first floor.

It was not difficult to avoid the sentinels as the king made his way into Zelda's old room, where the two were staying. The king's face grew red as he thought of this… beast kissing his daughter. He was sure he was controlling her, and she would be horrified as soon as the boy was dead.

The king grabbed a sword from a secret armory behind a tapestry in the castle, and entered Zelda's chamber. Rage pumped through his veins as he saw Link examining his daughter's possessions.

"STOP!" he shouted, ready to run the brigand through. Link nonchalantly looked up.

"I let you come up here," he said, "because I wanted you to know the truth. Zelda really is in love with me. She and I are going to sire a new race, one that will 'replace' Hylians. We call ourselves… the Forsaken."

With that, Link raised his palm, the circle tattooed on it glowing. A yellow beam shot from the circle, striking the king's chest. He was thrown back, reduced to a scorched corpse. Several death knights came running.

"Sir!" one said, "we don't know how he got free! We'll-"

"No need, Sergeant," Link said, "Just pitch his corpse in the moat."

"Yes sir!" the knight said, and dragged off the body. Zelda stepped out of the shadows.

"You are quite skilled, my king," she said, drawing closer.

**Forsaken Future**

Eight months after the death of the king, Link examined a book in the old Hyrule Castle Study. He could read any book and put it to memory in a few minutes, but he rarely did. Zelda was studying a chess piece. Her belly was now swelling with child. Suddenly, she turned to Link.

"How did you become a Forsaken?" she asked.

Link considered his answer for a long time.

"Years ago, I liberated a realm from an evil mask. As it lay, shattered, it showed a dark figure laying waste to Hyrule. Being the idealist I was, I traveled to the northern wastes, where the figure supposedly came from. I uncovered this," Link unsheathed the sword and examined it. "It twists souls and rends flesh. It taught me how to create the Forsaken. Finally, it showed me that good evil are merely points of view. One man's evil is another man's good."

Zelda felt her belly. The baby was due soon. He would be the first true-blooded Forsaken. Soon, humanity would be Forsaken, a race of lost souls.


	2. Darkness

**Darkness**

Zelda, long ago, would have found the dungeon dreary and unfitting of a Hylilan Princess. Now, however, she was neither a princess nor a Hylian, and the dungeons suited her perfectly. The only downside was that she had to listen to her mother, whom Link had never bothered to kill.

"How could you have fallen so far?" the queen said, lamenting, "The brave, noble girl I once knew… reduced to being a warlord's 'mate'! You are not even married!"

Zelda considered ignoring her, but the marriage comment was sufficient provocation. "Marriage is a contrivance. I have no use for it."

"What happened to my daughter, Zelda?" her mother asked, "the one who loved and cared for people, the girl who hated and fought evil?"

The old Zelda shown through briefly, opening her mouth to speak. Shadow Zelda seized control, clamping it shut. Her mother sensed the ray of righteousness from Zelda.

"You're still in there, somewhere," the queen said, "fragmented, broken, but still there."

Zelda remained silent. She continued to stump up and down the dungeon, her shadow feeding on the misery and despair pooled in the prison.

"I guess I'll deliver the baby here," Zelda said, indicating a large guard's room, as her mother's face turned pale.

"You're-You're-" she spluttered.

"Yes," said Zelda, advancing to the cell bars, "I am pregnant. I am carrying the first true-blooded forsaken. He will be the true dawn of our species, and the end of the Hylian Era."

Link was far away, observing a troubled field. The Forsaken Legion had built a large bridge into the Gerudo Valley.

The Gerudo rebels were particularly annoying; they had thrown up at least twenty different bases throughout the desert, making attacking and holding the desert fortress difficult.

The Forsaken, luckily, had just brought in a new weapon. It was a long, metal tube on wheels. A highly volatile gas was contained within it, that when set ablaze, would send a stream of fire from the tube. Link's new weapon would be tested on the Gerudo.

He waved his sword around, indicating the spot where the cannon should be put. They rolled it to the front, and carefully pointed it into a window of the Gerudo building.

"5…4…3…2…1!" a Forsaken counted. With '1', a burst of fire emerged from the weapon's front, causing mass panic among the Gerudo. The fireball fell through a window, where it exploded, and set light to the building. Panicked enemies ran from the building, while being mowed down by Forsaken legionaries.

"Good," said Link, "We march to the next base."

Two pairs of eyes were watching a nearby cliff.

"Goddesses, what was that?" one asked, stunned.

"I do not know, but we have to report it to Nabooru," the other replied.

**Eyes of the Desert**

Link himself abstained from fighting. Why cheat his men out of valuable experience? Better, direct the fight from the rear. However, as he marched on the vast colossus, home of the Spirit Temple, he heard a noise from behind a sand dune. He turned to examine it. Nothing was there.

Then another noise was heard, this time from a cliff. Immediately, Link slammed the runeblade on the alarm bell in a wagon. The whole column immediately went into defensive formation, protecting the Weapon above all else.

The Gerudo charged the Forsaken Legion, crying inhuman war cries. Nabooru, their hated leader, was among them. She dived for Link drawing two scimitars. She moved liked the wind, slashing at Link like a sandstorm. He dodged each blow, always keeping the hood over his face. As one of the blades passed, it struck Link's face. He stepped back, and the hood fell away. Nabooru stopped in her tracks.

"Lin- Link!" she asked. He responded by striking her with his blade. She was thrown back, but got up and sounded the retreat.

Link watched as the Gerudo fell back. Casualties on either side were negligible, but Link could not stop to create more Forsaken. He continued towards the Colossus. Finally, it appeared over the horizon, looming ominously in the morning hours.


	3. The New Breed

**The New Breed**

Zelda was in agony. Every single point in her body was screaming, drowning out all other noises. She had requested only a few be present at the birthing. She was screaming, but could not hear her own voice as she pushed.

Link was leading his column through the desert. He had broken several Gerudo bases, and their army was in full retreat. Suddenly, his body felt a tremor of pain. Zelda was calling out to him, screaming for his help. She needed him.

Link called his second-in-command, a red-eyed woman with skin the color night, to his side. Link was beginning to channel agony from Zelda, and gritted his teeth with the growing hurt was weakening his senses.

"Malon," Link said, through gritted teeth, "take command. I must return the castle." She nodded, and Link cast the spell to return the Hyrule castle.

Zelda's consciousness was fading. She needed someone, anyone, to channel the suffering. A power of the Forsaken, the channeling of pain is a necessity in child birth, for they have different pain tolerances than Hylians. While they could resist great fatigue and external pain, such as being stabbed, they are less resistant to internal pain. Hence, childbirth is one of the most trying and painful processes a Forsaken can endure.

Link appeared outside of the castle gates. He pushed through the bustle of Forsaken going about their duties, such as transporting food to the granaries, or collecting goods necessary for their survival, such as food and clothing. The fallen hero ran through the gates. He found a guard, and demanded the location of Zelda. The guard, terrified, directed him to the dungeons.

Link kicked the dungeon door open, and stepped into the darkness, lit only by a few torches. He entered the guard station, and saw Zelda lying on a bed placed there, aided by only four attendants. Link came to her side, and grasped her by the hand. He felt her quivering, flickering soul, and shielded it with his own. Agony gripped him. He suffered the duel pain of knowing his mate was in agony and the pain of feeling childbirth.

Still, Link held on to her hand. He had to, not just for the Forsaken race, but for her. Suddenly, he couldn't bear to live without her. He knew that if she died in childbirth, he would die shortly afterwards. He took on still more of her pain, until he the suffering brought him to the edge of consciousness.

Suddenly, it dulled. The pain lessened as the female child left Zelda's womb, now her own entity. A single yellow line circled around one of the baby's green eyes, much like Link's own markings. It had the grey skin of its parents, and jet black hair. Link opened his eyes as he heard the wailing. Zelda was immobile, but the rising and falling of her chest confirmed her continued life.

An attendant passed the child to Link. Link cradled it her his arms like she was the most precious jewel in Hyrule, yet was more important to him than any gem. _The feelings of a father,_ thought Link. Then darker thoughts crossed his mind. _This child…is the end of the Hylian era._ There were times when he would have felt pity for the lesser hominids of the world, but now he had none. He knew the future. The Forsaken would multiply uncontrollably, and the previous inhabitants of Hyrule would be crushed beneath the iron feet of evolution.

Zelda gradually regained consciousness.

"What should we call her?" the new mother asked, bleary-eyed.

"Amanecer," said Link, "It means 'dawn'."

In the burning lands, Malon had just ordered the attack. The Weapon fired again, blasting out a tower and sending Gerudo flying. The Desert Colossus was important to Link's plan; Malon privately thought it was a waste of time. Why attack some ruin when you could be burning bases? However, she wasn't one to defy the orders of a superior, so she carried out the attack.

With another thunderous crash, an entire rampart collapsed, brining down the Gerudos' crack archers with it. Malon sent up an emerald flare from her palm, giving the order to charge. Over seven hundred Forsaken legionaries charged the ruined walls, smashing down gates and slashing Gerudo. The Weapon was wheeled forward. It sent forth a blast of fire, destroying a building and immolating several Gerudo soldiers.

"Charge! Charge!" shouted Malon. She rode to the front lines with her horse, aiding charge with an iron pitchfork. She ran a Gerudo through, and charged up to the central complex, where Nabooru was supposedly located.

Suddenly, the sounds of battle faded, for a single Gerudo, Nabooru, had climbed the central spire of the Colossus.

"Why do you attack us!" she demanded, her eyes showing total defiance. Malon climbed up an intact tower, and confronted the queen of the desert.

"We attack for the glory of the Forsaken Empire!" Malon responded, arrogance in her voice.

"Your empire is nothing!" Nabooru shouted back. With that, the Gerudo rallied and fought like cornered animals, driving the Forsaken back. Malon did a backflip, and landed outside the walls. She would get Nabooru.


	4. The Light Brigade

**The Light Brigade**

Malon looked like she had tasted something from the rear of her horse. Already she had charged the fortress three times, to no avail! This Nabooru always hid some trap behind a corner. Most the Gerudo were hidden, perhaps buried beneath the sand, breathing through invisible air holes.

Malon could not keep going on like this. She would lose her sanity - and her life – if a filthy Gerudo bested her.

The Forsaken were encamped around the Colossus. Despite the sheer length of the siege, Nabooru's food stock seemed infinite.

Malon was beating her head on a table in a wagon's main room. It seemed hopeless. Malon got up, and, on a sudden inspiration, examined her troops. They wore heavy armor, adding at least sixty pounds, weapons, including two pikes and a broadsword, and other miscellaneous items, such as canteens and a hammer for repairing damaged equipment.

Finally, Malon realized her problem: she was trying to attack a fly with a bludgeon. She needed to be more precise; she needed to forge a mounted light brigade. Grinning, she thought, _Horses are right up my alley_.

Several hours later, a Gerudo was observing the enemy encampment from the Colossus walls. Strange sounds and blinding flashes had been seen and heard from the Forsaken. Suddenly, a blood-chilling warcry went up, and at least a hundred fifty mounted Forsaken charged the Colossus. These, however, were not the average Forsaken. They wore light armor, and carried tridents. The alarm went up, and Gerudo began emerging from their hiding places- right onto the waiting tridents of the Forsaken.

Malon was laughing uncontrollably.

"Do you recognize us now!" she shouted at the Colossus, hoping Nabooru could hear. Malon mounted her horse and aided the attack, scything down one Gerudo after another. However, she only had eyes for the Colossus; she spent far too many hours staring at it to allow others the right to capture it. Malon dismounted and ran into the complex, slashing a Gerudo's stomach open as she passed.

She entered a long stairway. She climbed up, meeting no resistance. The sounds of battle were fading. The Gerudo either fled or had been killed. Malon hoped for the latter. She climbed to the highest spire of the Colossus, to find Nabooru looking over the battlefield. To Malon's surprise and fury, her men had retreated. However, there were many more dead Gerudo then Forsaken.

"You are defeated," Nabooru began, as Gerudo thieves advanced from the shadowy corners of the platform, "surrender and you will ransomed back unharmed."

Malon knew there was not point in being captured. Link wouldn't bother buying her back, and kill her if she was rescued, as punishment for his failure. Malon fell to one knee, as if to surrender. One of the Gerudo came forward to tie Malon's hands. Suddenly, Malon grabbed the thief by an arm, holding it taught, and slammed her knee into her captor's arm, snapping it. Five other Gerudo attacked Malon. Malon grabbed her latest victim's scimitar and lashed out with it, gashing one of her foe's face. Malon did a back flip, delivering a kick to one enemy and slashing at the other. In a matter of minutes, her attackers all lie dead or fatally wounded. Nabooru drew her own scimitar and backed away.

Malon charged head first at the Gerudo Queen, slashing with her scimitar. Nabooru blocked. Nabooru made a run for a window, and proceeded to jump. She landed on ground, remarkably without injury. She sounded a retreat. The remaining Gerudo fell back from the Colossus, leaving it in the hands of the Forsaken.

Finally… hers. Malon could feel herself growing in pride and arrogance. This Colossus was hers, and she would reign from it, under Link, of course. She was obsessed with this fortress; she had shed so much blood for it she could not let it go.

A few days later, Link returned to his legion. With a flash, he appeared next to Malon, whom he found sitting on the Colossus throne.

"Very good, Malon," began Link, "but I return to my command. I will take that throne." Malon knew it was a test. Link must sense treachery from her. Although loathe to, Malon removed herself and Link sat in it.

"I need you to have the Weapon moved to the ramparts. From there, it can flatten every fortress around our army," Link said. Malon bowed.

_She must be watched carefully,_ thought Link.

Far away in the desert, a dark figure approaches Nabooru.

"Not quite so dangerous without your comrades?" he said, grinning. Nabooru back flipped out of the man's attack range.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, barreling forward, "that I'm a lunatic." Nabooru continued her retreat. Suddenly, she sent a jet of fire into the man's chest; he was thrown back. His twisted form faded.


	5. Alone no Longer

**Alone no More**

Rauru was not quite as frail as he wanted people to believe. Obviously, he was old, but not frail. However, even he had been shocked beyond belief with the sudden rise of the Forsaken. Even more shocking, the Hero of Time was at their head!

Rauru was studying a book in his library. It was the prophesy of the Hero of Time. Nowhere did it indicate that the Hero would fall to evil and treachery. That would mean that the prophesy was violated, which in turn would mean disaster.

A young man appeared in the doorway behind Rauru. The catacombs they lived in with their comrades did not afford much privacy.

"I know you're there, Kaer, so stop trying to sneak up on me," said Rauru, not bothering to look up.

"Sir!" Kaer began, "The Desert Colossus has fallen! The Gerudo are in full retreat!"

_Disaster indeed,_ thought Rauru as he got up.

Nabooru was near death, in the midst of the desert. A stray javelin from a light cavalier had struck her stomach, some of the metal embedding itself in her flesh. Her thieves were hounded day and night, their fortresses burned one by one. Malon… curse the witch. Her cavalry inflicted more death and misery than Link could ever hope to with his plodding Legion. However, it was not by their hand that Nabooru fell. She had been attacked by various apparitions, all twisted and distorted, yet somehow familiar. However, this last attack had been fatal.

As Nabooru finally began to leave this world, another apparition appeared… this time very solid. It was Ganondorf Dragmire.

"I hope you like me," gloated Ganondorf, "because I'm the last thing you'll ever see." Ganondorf drew his blade and sent a gash along Nabooru's face, killing her.

Ganondorf left Nabooru dead in her tent, and confronted the Gerudo.

"Your queen is dead!" he shouted, "All you have left is me. Follow me, and you shall live. Leave me, and you shall die. A new threat faces the Gerudo, and it must be faced openly."

The Gerudo were loathe to agree, but the leaders of the resistance were stabbed in the dead of night. Fearing a similar fate, the battered survivors joined him. At this point, the Gerudo would follow anyone who would lead.

Link sensed something in the desert, a feeling more than the anarchic, terrified emotions of the scattered Gerudo, but a directed, malevolent force. He was unsure as to its nature, either there was an organizing force directing the desert thieves, or… Malon was plotting against him.

Link stood and circled the chamber. Empathy, the detection of other's feelings, was a lesser power of the Forsaken. Only a very powerful, poorly shielded emotion could be detected. However, he had felt suspicious emotions from Malon, although they were confused and difficult to track. Thoughts were even harder to sense, but hers were straying about without rhyme or reason, sometimes easy and open, other times guarded and secretive. It could be that she was throwing emotional shields up to block Link's senses, but Malon was not all that familiar with psychic forces. The last possibility, in many ways the worse, was that she had lost her mind. It was all too likely that the burning sun and cruel winds had pushed her beyond her limits.

Malon was walking in circles at the exact same time. Her thoughts were difficult to master. Half of her demanded that she follow Link's every order, but the other half asked what right he had to do so. Malon sat on her cot, contemplating the situation. Something was distorting her mind, but she could not pin it down. On the one hand, she might have finally gone insane. She dare not consider this, for insanity demanded a Forsaken take her own life. The other possibility was that an outside force was corrupting her thoughts.

Malon choose to do some patrolling. As she walked along the pathway, she heard a skittering. She followed it through the twisting corridors. She drew the knife at her belt, and chased it into a room. Suddenly, the lights in the room flared on, and Link was standing before her.

"I never thought it possible," said Link, "that I would be betrayed by you." He knocked her cold with the flat of his blade, and had her moved to the dungeons. Hours later, Malon, despite interrogation and threat of torture, insisted she was following an assassin. She had proven her treachery, but something wasn't right.

Link was walking down a passage, when a Forsaken approached him.

"Sir! Malon has escaped!" Link followed the soldier down the passageway, when he turned on Link with his blade! Surprised, Link stepped back, and began preparing for the worst. Just then, however, a javelin was hurled out the shadows, impaling the assassin. Link attempted to follow the rescuer, but he or she disappeared. Several days later, Link was unsure who it was; why would Malon be following him, further, why would anyone hide in the shadows? The assassin was a Gerudo in disguise; Link did not expect such guile from Nabooru

Miles away, a new sort of Gerudo army was being forged. Ganondorf would fight fire with fire, building a slow, plodding Legion just like Link's own.


	6. The Desert Breed

**The Desert Breed**

When chemicals in the Forsaken body fly out of balance, the any number of results can occur. One of the most common results is an insatiable bloodlust, seconded deep depression. However, sometimes these chemicals react naturally, to send their owner into a reproductive frenzy.

Malon was feeling such frenzy now. Her mind was no longer processing information normally, rationally; her existence orbited around finding a mate. She thundered through the desert; everything in her life has built up to this hunger.

Appearing in a flash of light, Rauru staggered to a chair and slumped into it. Sending Malon into such frenzy was a tiring, but necessary task. By creating racial divisions in the Forsaken, he could have placed the first barriers between them. If Malon conceived, she would, no doubt have a Forsaken different from the rest. Perhaps it would have extra layers of skin, giving extra protection from the sun, or darker eyes, reflecting extra light. No one could predict how this twist of evolution would end. Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside Rauru's room.

The Sage of Light had been working tirelessly to overthrow the forces of darkness. However, theirs was not an overt resistance. Rauru was working silently, manipulating politics and sending signals into the psychic planes the Forsaken listened to. All in all, it did more damage then any army they could have built.

"Sir," he began, "Malon has conceived."

Kaer, if you had looked at him a few months ago, was not an unusual Kakariko Village resident. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears, as Hylians do. However, when the Forsaken invaded his village, he narrowly escaped into the wilderness. Lost and alone, he was near starvation when Rauru and his comrades found him.

"I hope I have not been in error," said Rauru.

Malon didn't know who her mate had been, only that he had moved on, and there was no point in following him. Gradually, her knowledge of the event faded, and sanity returned to her. She was lying on a dune in the beating sun. Her skin had turned teal, the natural result of overexposure to the sun. However, she did have a new objective. As she recovered from the chemically-induced mania, she felt a powerful psychic force from Link – he was in great pain or feeling great terror.

Malon sprinted through the desert to where she felt the psychic emanation. Link would definitely reward her for her service to the Empire. She rose over the last sand dune; a scene of carnage greeted her. The Gerudo had organized a heavy legion using all of their remaining forces, and had taken the Forsaken totally off guard. Link was in the midst of the battle, fighting a towering figure seemingly shrouded in dark mist. She grabbed a saber from a fallen cavalryman, and charged into the battle, scything down foes left and right.

Link had been knocked over, and Ganondorf was standing over him, ready to deal the Forsaken a final, impaling blow. Suddenly, a vicious female leaped onto the Ganondorf's back and began slashing at his face with a knife. This did almost no damage, but distracted the Gerudo male. Link grabbed the runeblade, lying in the dust a short distance to his right, and slashed Ganondorf, leaving a deep gash in the Gerudo's stomach. Ganondorf flung the female off of his back, sending her smashing through a group of her kin. However, Link wasn't through. He charged forward, and stabbed Ganondorf in the stomach in a killing blow. Unfortunately, this vicious attack didn't slow the Gerudo King. He extricated Link's blade from his stomach, and threw it at him. Ganondorf looked around, seeing the Gerudo army beaten. They had gradually been worn down by more experienced enemies. Furious, he cast a spell, and disappeared in a dark cloud.

Link stood, and saw his rescuer to be Malon herself! His mind instantly put the situation together; he had been feeling Ganondorf's treacherous presence, not Malon's. He cursed his stupidity in not realizing this sooner.

Later that night, he apologized through gritted teeth. How could he, Emperor of the Forsaken, make a mistake? He hated the feeling, and knew he looked a fool. Zelda would make him feel better.

Amanecer was a sickly child, at best. She suffered from coughing fits at night, and cried all day. She ate very little, and Zelda was perpetually worried. Only Link, with his calming psychic presence, could ease her wailing. He told Zelda, on the many occasions when she was sick with worry, that this child had an unusually powerful psychic sense. Whether this translated into greater magical ability, he was unsure.

Link strode into the castle. He spent far too much time away from his wife and child, but all in the name of the Forsaken Empire. He climbed to Zelda's room, where his daughter waited. Zelda was cradling the wailing child in her arms, attempting to sooth it with soft words. As Link stepped in, he sent a series of rhythmic psychic signals, the equivalent of music. This particular rhythm was the music of the previous Royal Family of Hyrule, known as Zelda's Lullaby. It never failed in halting the child's crying.

"She worries me so," said Zelda, rather sadly. Link knew that Amancer could die. The sheer volume of psychic emanations she must be feeling could destroy her little mind. Link could move on, albeit painfully, but could Zelda?

Far away, Malon knew she was with child. Something had induced frenzy in her, but what? She was sitting on the Desert Colossus throne, as Link had given her dominion over the burning lands as a Lord of the Empire. Usually, such frenzy only occured much later in life to childless Forsaken. However, Malon was relatively young, which could indicate magical tampering. Nothing could be done about it know, though. _What will he be like?_ she wondered.

The next week, Link had gathered his Legion, rebuilt after the severe damage suffered, outside the woods. The little green haired girl of the forest would never know what hit her. Link wondered what a Forsaken Korkiri would look like. Perhaps like a Skull Kid?


	7. The Forsaken of the Lost Woods

**The Forsaken of the Lost Woods**

"Yes," said Rauru, "it would be dangerous and take months to set into motion."

Rauru was discussing a new plan with his twenty-six comrades, deep in the forgotten Catacombs of Hyrule.

"The Ziggurat has not been used in years, and no doubt some evil infests it. However, I am confident that it can cleanse the world of evil, just as the Hidden Chapter said it would," he continued.

Meanwhile, Link had entered the Korkiri Forest. Unlike the persistent Gerudo, most of these children surrendered without a fight. However, Saria and some of the more mature Korkiri had fled into the Lost Woods. Link would have to go after them himself.

Link hurried through the woods. He had a perfect mental map of the woods, and quickly hunted down the terrified Korkiri by their empathic emanations into the ethereal plane. He personally converted them into Forsaken. Forsaken Korkiri were strange, imp-like creatures. They had no mouths; they communicated entirely by telepathy and ate by absorbing leaves directly into their skin. They walked on all fours, their hands and feet clinging perfectly to trees. They fought with rocks and sticks. Their skin was solid black, and had pointed ears, just like their ancestry.

Saria, however, remained elusive. She masked her feelings and emotions perfectly. Entirely on instinct, Link traveled to the meadow outside the Forest Temple. Sure enough, Saria was there, playing her ocarina.

"I knew you would find me," she said, quietly. Link rushed forward, slashing Saria's stomach open. He picked up her corpse and moved it onto a stump. He placed the five candles around her broken form, and recited the spell of the Forsaken. Saria rose to her feet, joining the ranks of the Forsaken Empire.

_What do you want?_ she asked telepathically.

"Scour the woods. The Skull Kids are leading an organized resistance against us," said Link. She nodded, and skittered into the woods. She seemed somehow… displeased with her new form.

Rauru knew nothing could have been done for the Korkiri. This is a war, albeit a hidden one, and sacrifices have to be made. The Gorons had taken his advice and disappeared into the mountains. The Zora, however, were too headstrong. They and their leader, Ruto, were organizing a defense. Rauru sighed. The Zora would be the next to fall.

Link was quite frustrated with the Skull Kids. They moved like the wind. They and the Korkiri were locked in a ferocious war of ambushes, each more costly – for either side – than the last. Suddenly, Saria entered the old shop, now Headquarters, fuming. To Link's great surprise, she started psychically shouting at him.

_I do NOT need you staring over my shoulder. Leave the military plans to someone who knows the way of the forest!_ she said, furiously.

Link considered this, and said "Usually, that comment would get you killed. However, I see you are correct in this matter." To the great surprise of his men, Link bowed and left the forest gracefully.

The moment Link was out of the Forest, he had a full Legion of Forsaken wait just outside the woods, watching the activities of the Korkiri. He was tricking her into a false sense of security, and one indiscretion would mean her death.

Saria sighed. She knew Link was trying to trick her into a false sense of security, and hence one indiscretion meant death. Her new form was difficult to fall into; a fragment of the old Saria was still intact. It kept her from full acceptance of her new life, and gave her a deep mistrust of Link. Nothing could be done for that now, though.

Suddenly, a Forsaken Korkiri darted into the tree house that constituted HQ for the Forsaken.

_My scout team and I saw the Skull Kids escorting someone through the Lost Woods! It looks like they were headed for Termania!_ he said, breathlessly.

_Quick, gather a War Party. I'll deal with this one myself,_ Saria responded.

_What about Link? _a Forsaken asked somewhat darkly.

Saria considered. It was best to err on the side of caution.

_Send a message to him informing him of this event,_ she said.

Several hours later, Saria was swinging across the trees with her comrades, silently traversing from branch to branch. The Skull Kids were not far ahead. They were escorting an obviously important person through the woods, towards the entrance to Termania. The escorted one was wearing a brown cloak, and had his head down.

There were a few seconds of silence. Then, the Korkiri War Party descended like a rain of arrows, hacking and slashing. The Skull Kids were putting up a strong resistance, until an arrow whistled through the air, striking a Skull Kid and sending him flying against a tree, where he lay gruesomely suspended. The Skull Kids split up, leaving their charge.

The archer walked forward, coming into the view of Saria and her comrades. It was Link.

"Rauru," he said, simply.

"You know me well, Link," responded the person in the brown cloak.

Suddenly, the figure threw off his cloak, revealing a brown grey tunic. He grabbed a deku nut from one of his pockets and flung it to the ground, blinding the photosensitive Korkiri. He set off a sprint, but Link, not blinded by the flash, ran after him. As Link pursued the Sage of Light, he stumbled over a rock. However, he had seen enough. Over the next ridge, Rauru was receiving supplies and manpower from Termania. He had forged a small army, yet it was preparing to march away from Hyrule.

Amencer was having a serious fit. The only thing that could cause such wailing was if the world itself was screaming as the universe reached a turning point.


	8. Preparations

**Preparations**

Malon had just returned from a major conference. Link had called all seven of his lieutenants to the conference, not revealing any reason for the gathering. There, he revealed Rauru's army. It marched north, away from Hyrule, but Link wanted them destroyed.

Malon, although pregnant, was going with him. She was only in the early stages, and was still a useful commander. She assembled her strongest Light Cavalry and set out for Hyrule.

"Kosake," she called.

"Yes, Lord?" he said. Kosake, her second-in-command, would be leading the Cavalry on the front lines.

"Is all the baggage prepared?" she asked. Baggage was a kind word for Malon's items, spare armor, field rations, and pictures.

"Yes," said Kosake, "however, some idiot fed Epona rotten oats. She is too sick to proceed."

Malon paused momentarily, "Yes, I'll… take another."

Saria had nothing to take with her. As long as there were leaves to dine upon and tall objects to swing through, she could live anywhere. She was bitter; however, because of Link's ulterior motives in taking her. He had made it clear through facial expression and tone of voice he had no trust of her whatsoever.

Far away, the sounds of a bloody battle echoed across the path to the Zora's Domain. Link's personal guards, simply titled the Forsaken Knights, had driven up the river, paying no attention to the horrific deaths of those who fell in the water. They pushed through the waterfall, ignoring the screams of those losing arms and legs to sharpened fins.

Ruto was observing the battle from atop a waterfall, concern growing on her face. Link's elite were extremely disciplined, to the point where they would ignore the massacre of every last one of their number. The Zora, however, were not as high in morale. They were being pushed back. They were daunted by the screams of those who bled to death from stumps of missing limbs, by the corpses floating face down in the water.

Suddenly, Rauru appeared behind her, without the customary flash of light.

"It can't be fought this way, you know," said Rauru, in a matter-of-fact fashion, "Overt resistance cannot and will not win."

"What do you expect me to do," said Ruto, looking painfully at the failing Zora army, "throw down my arms and surrender!"

"I wouldn't contact you if I did. I expect you to swim north. Meet my army at the ocean. I have a plan to destroy the Forsaken," he said, coolly.

"And what would that be?" asked Ruto.

"Go to the sea and you will find out," responded Rauru. Before Ruto could say anything else, the Sage of Light disappeared into the shadows.

Ganondorf crept through the shadows. The small cartel he had gathered was hardly fitting of a Triforce holder, but he had been training the group of petty thieves. Anyway, he had a plan for seizing control of a slightly more dangerous army.

He was in a forgotten corner of an unimportant country, far away from Hyrule. He doubted if Link even wanted the country of Kerikan. Its government was among the most corrupt in the world, abusing its right to tax and pitching anyone who disagreed with them into the Great River. The vast, rushing river was the only noteworthy element in the entire miserable country; however, the river is entirely useless. It was far to fast to build docks in, and when it flooded its banks at random intervals, it destroyed crops, and swept people into the pirate-infested ocean. It was also filthy; one could only assume some nation upstream polluting the river.

Luckily, this squalid nation was a perfect recruitment grounds for the King of Thieves. He would find an orphan adept at burglary on the streets, pick her up, dust her off, and teach her the ways of the great Gerudo.

Also important to this country were its mercenaries. The rough living in the streets taught children the 'survival of the fittest' mentality. Such upbringing, if you could call it that, taught vicious fighting skills, which they usually put to use by becoming a soldier of fortune. On the many occasions when the country was attacked by an expansionist neighbor, the mercenaries would inevitably rise up and crush the invaders. This had happened many times before, and would inevitably happen many times in the future.

Among these mercenaries is a simple code for advancement. Whoever kills the leader, no matter how sordidly or unpleasantly, becomes the leader. The simple logic behind this statement is that if someone kills the leader, the leader must not be the best, cleverest fighter. Therefore the assassin must be the best, most clever fighter, and should be leader. This left the heads of the mercenary gangs in a rather precarious position, and tended towards iron fisted policies regarding insubordination, ranging from lashing with a cat o' nine tails to the country's traditional means of execution, pitching the condemned in the Great River.

Ganondorf needed these soldiers for his own purposes. He stepped in the tavern, and was immediately confronted by a grunt. He was heavily scarred and was missing an eye. His face had no expression whatsoever; giving the impression of total apathy.

"Hand over your weapons," the mercenary said, dully. Ganondorf handed over his broadsword and proceeded onwards.

The leader of this particular group was seven feet tall, alcoholic, and extremely violent. He was sitting in a corner, staring into a bottle of the most popular beverage in the country, which was regarded as tasting like horse feces by every other country in the known world. Ganondorf walked up to the leader.

"Are you the leader of these men?" Ganondorf asked, his voice cold and impersonal.

"That's right, red hair-" the leader began, but was cut off as Ganondorf slammed concealed knife into the mercenary's chest. The thief withdrew the knife and plunged it into his victim's scalp. He slumped over, dead.

"Any questions," Ganondorf asked, threateningly. The mercenaries all shook their heads no, and bowed before him.

A few hours later, Rauru appeared in an alley, his face hidden beneath a brown robe. Ganondorf was not far off.

"You've done quite well for yourself, Thief King," said Rauru. Ganondorf spun around.

"Rauru!" he asked, incredulous.

"Yes, it is me," the Sage of Light said, "and I believe you have 'a bone to pick' with Emperor Link?"

"Yes," said Ganondorf, bitterly, "I do."

"Then you will take interest in my plans."

Link left the castle, his face downcast. He had said his goodbyes to Zelda. He may have to chase Rauru all over the world, but he would find the Sage and turn him into a Forsaken… or kill him altogether. He had shared one last intimate moment with Zelda, and left. He was deeply saddened saying his last goodbyes to Zelda, and his daughter. Would the child survive without him? Fragments of the old Link shown through for the briefest of moments. Then, once again, the thirst for Rauru's destruction returned.

The army pushed north, after the route of Rauru's army. Soon they would come to the nation directly north of Hyrule. They would burn it to the ground.


	9. Into the North

**The Land of Snow and Ice**

Thousands of glowing lines connected to the beating heart of the universe. They branched out, spreading across thousands of barren worlds, filling them with hope and life. The veins of cosmic energy spread to the outermost edges of the cosmos, where four crossed. Where they intersected, a world was formed, but was periodically annihilated by the extreme energy passing through it, building up in the tiny crevices in the planet's surface, until it exploded. This cycle of doomsday continued until it was liberated by-

Link woke with a start. The dream always stopped there. He and his legion were on the border of the insignificant city-state Azurewood. The tiny nation was part a vast network of small countries across the north. Azurewood was famed for its blue trees, which Link had cut down and used to make siege equipment. Tomorrow, he would travel to the main city and burn it.

A great distance to the north, out at sea, Ganondorf was sulking. Rauru ordered him to go to the wasted North. Once he disembarked, he should march north until he found a 'great tower'. Ganondorf had been promised that this tower could destroy the Forsaken. He privately thought that he should be fighting Link on the front lines, but the promise of instantaneous victory was too appealing to ignore.

Rauru had ordered his small army, half the size of Link's, to march double time northwards. They had to get to the sea, or Link would corner them, and all would be lost. Link had been rampaging after Rauru, burning everything in his way. Link had brought some of his best commanders with him, and working together they would capture any city in about five hours.

"We have to make a stand somewhere," said Kaer, "If we don't, Link will eventually catch us."

"We'll make a stand," said Rauru, "just not here. We'll make it to the sea, and we will sail north."

Kaer sighed; the old man was very eccentric. He had not yet completely revealed his plan to anyone, and carefully guarded his conversation. The only bits he had revealed were that there was a pyramid-tower structure in the north that would purge the world of all evil. Kaer found this all hard to believe. He thought a guerilla war was in order, but Rauru was always right, in the end.

Link grinned with the crash of boulders striking Azurewood's walls. He reveled in this kind of warfare, the sudden strike, the quick victory. He scaled one of the walls and had systematically slaughtered ever single defender, converting each into a Forsaken on the spot. The fortress was nearly taken.

A soldier crept up from behind. Link didn't notice the bruised and bloody man, preoccupied as he was by the thunderous crash of half of the castle keep collapsing. The wounded soldier moved one foot at a time, soundless on the worn stones of the rampart. He raised his broadsword, bloody with gore of Forsaken. Link began to turn, only to late. The soldier brought his blade down, but was stopped a mere inch from Link's chest. Saria dived from a collapsing tower, scissored her legs around his waist, and snapped his neck with a sickening crack.

_We've just about cleared the population,_ she said.

"Good," responded Link, "tell Malon to gather the army outside the gates. We march at sun-up."

Ganondorf had just disembarked. He hated sea travel, not entirely unusual for one of the desert. The pirates who had taken him there were eager to leave. According to pirate lore, the laws of the world began to break down this far north. However, Ganondorf had just killed the pirate's admiral, giving him executive rights over the pirates. Also, he had threatened the captains, saying if they left, he would 'rip their intestines out and hang them by them.' The malleable, spineless group cowered before him.

Ganondorf marshaled his men and marched north. No one lived on the northern continent. Rumor had it that volcanic activity was common in this land of ice. This was soon discovered to be true. The air was filled with not snow but ash, and volcanoes were seen erupting in the distance. Ganondorf's men called this place lugar del fuego y del hielo, meaning "place of fire and ice" in their own tongue. Ganondorf just wanted to leave the filthy place.

The land curved almost unnaturally here. Odd features such as a mountain in the middle of a crater, rock loops stretching miles into the air, and a mountain in a precarious hourglass shape were common. Ganondorf climbed over a ridge that curved up a cliff. He saw a towering ziggurat, the tower with the ability to destroy the Forsaken.

Rauru hurried to the docks. He had miraculously escaped the burning cities he had taken refuge in, and had made it to the sea. Ruto was waiting for him.

"Took you long enough," she said, sourly.

"Are the boats ready?" Rauru asked.

"Yes," Ruto said simply.

By the time Link arrived, Rauru's fleet had cast off. He was furious. How could Rauru, with no military training whatsoever, have bested the cleverest minds in his army? Link ordered boats prepared, and set off after the Sage of Light.


	10. Approaching

**Approaching**

The farther north they went, the more erratic space became. Near the Ziggurat, the universe became unpredictable, no longer bound by the laws of up and down, left and right. Rauru turned. The black sails of the Forsaken Fleet cruised on, unabated by the raids the Zora periodically launched. The whistling wind sent frigid chills down the men's back, driving moral low.

The tension continued to mount as Link's fleet drew closer. Land was just coming into sight. Rauru's army would have to run like the hounds of hell were after them when they disembarked. Arguablely, they were. Kaer's mind ran through his life's tale. He remembered being taught to be a carpenter, the burning of his village, and Rauru training him in the ways of the rebel. It seemed that all was lost, and Link would corner them in the forgotten north, crushing the last shred of resistance.

Ganondorf was frustrated. Where was the old man? He stumped around the camp, punishing the slightest transgression. The old ziggurat, a strange dark brown color, was lined with odd hieroglyphs. It easily towered a mile into the sky. At its apex, three crooked bars emerged, forming a sphere. Ganondorf didn't care how it worked, though; he just wanted to break Link's neck.

Rauru had left most of his supplies behind. He and his men were practically sprinting, but no amount of running could make the indomitable sound of the Forsaken's marching boots fade away. Rauru saw a fork in the road, and slowed his horse and met up with Kaer, who was helping a soldier whose foot was stuck in a crevice.

"Kaer, take half the column go up the high road," Rauru said, indicating a path up a cliff, "If one of us is destroyed, the other can carry on to the Ziggurat."

"I don't know how to use it!" Kaer shouted back.

"Yes, you do," said Rauru, "All you need is instinct."

With that, Rauru split off with half the men, continuing down the low road. Kaer took the other half and proceeded up the cliff.

Link was at a fork in the road. It was obvious from the tacks that the rebels had split up. One was going up a cliff, and the others went through a valley.

"Malon," Link called.

"Emperor?" she responded, approaching on horseback.

"Take the cavalry and chase after the rebels that went up the cliff. It's a flat plateau up there, don't worry about mobility," Link said. Malon bowed respectfully and began gathering her men.

Link double timed after Rauru. His archers fired a few waves of arrows whenever the enemy got into range. Victory was nigh. Whatever the senile old man wanted up here, he was going to be dead before he got it. Rauru's rag-tag army of varying equipment, level of training, and nationality was tiring, and every time they slowed, arrows would hit their ranks. It was highly detrimental to moral. Link could feel their spirits lessening by the second.

Kaer wondered how he had gotten into such a precarious situation. He was camped out on a rock face, watching as Malon's horsemen circled around, prowling like vultures. They cut down anyone who tried to leave with such cruel lack of remorse that Kaer was shocked, even by a heartless enemy such as this. There was a thunder of hooves as another raid approached, firing arrows at the rocky outcropping from horseback. Kaer organized retaliation. After each Forsaken volley, men would fall from the rocks. After each rebel volley, horse archers would collapse and be instantly trampled.

Link was quite surprised to see Ganondorf waiting in front of a makeshift stone barrier. Equally surprising, he was commanding four hundred mercenaries. He and his men had set up a camp behind a towering structure, easily a mile tall. Rauru's men streamed across the walls. Zora were camped a short distance away, gathered in military formation.

Here were his enemies, all the people Link had ruthlessly harmed and trodden upon. This was it. He could feel the heart of the world pounding as the final battle for world domination reached its last stages.


	11. The Fall of the Land of Ash

**The Fall of the Land of Ash**

Kaer was still trapped on this rocky outcropping, but now it was stained with blood. Corpses marked the wasteland from both sides. This was not a battle of wits, or tactics, but a battle of attrition, of morale. Whoever lasted the longest would win. Malon was taking casualties too. Rebels lay around the rocks, arrows emerging from their chest.

Malon grimaced. This was taking too long. She could see the Ziggurat in the distance, a colossus of a previous era. Who would build such a thing in the middle of a waste like this? Malon stepped away from her tent, with a foul expression. Link would need her help to defeat Rauru, she was sure of it. Later that night, a scout returned to Malon's camp, breathless from a ride down to the Ziggurat.

"General, Link has engaged Rauru and several of his allies. Link is gaining the upper hand, but Rauru is trying to work some spell in the tower," he said. Malon looked out. Nothing could be done for it now. Suddenly, a warcry went up from the Forsaken. Kaer's men were staging a breakout, and had already slaughtered several patrols. They all walked together in a square formation, shields over their heads and holding spears out at all sides. Malon mounted her horse and rode after them, followed by her entire army.

It was a gamble, but a gamble Kaer had to take. Heassembled his men, and marched out of the rocks. He was certain that Rauru needed his help. The square of men proceeded along the path, ignoring objects thrown at them. Suddenly, a vicious rider raked past the legion, grabbing one soldier's spear and picking him up with it. The attacker then flung the man several yards into open ground, where he was torn apart. Kaer ignored the casualty, as another man advanced to take the fallen's place.

Malon was naturally frustrated by this tactic. Kosake had managed to dislodge one man, but the rest would be more resistant. Her men continued to thunder past the legion, attacking enemies as the swept by, but this was to no avail. This continued for several hours, until there was a blinding flash and a thunderous boom. The Ziggurat had exploded. It was raining ash, like the land near the volcanoes that marked continent. This ash fall, however, was all-consuming. It stifled the breath and buried entire camps.

However, this was not of Malon's immediate concern. The flames were behaving impossibly, forming an egg shape around the Ziggurat, arching miles into the air. They crashed down, almost like a wave collapsing on the ground. Then, they exploded outwards. Super-heated debris fell from the sky, thrown by the monstrous blast. Malon was unsure how to proceed. Kaer's men had stopped, almost as in shock. Suddenly, the entire formation began to run seaward, erratically, divided. Malon considered killing them.

Then she saw what they were running from.

Link's army advanced, a solid line, six men deep, nearly a mile long. They trampled anything that got in their way, be it a scout or an entire troop of mercenaries, as they approached the make-shift rock barrier. Ganondorf was hailing them with arrows, but Link's men were hardened from the fight getting to the coast. The little arrows were nothing more then thumbtacks to them.

Suddenly, Ganondorf's entire army charged over the rocks, taking Link's formation off guard. These mercenaries had no training, only experience. They fought like stalfos, rarely aiding one another and ruthlessly exploiting everything to their advantage. The clash of arms was deafening. The line of battle trembled, as mercenaries ran out of energy and considered retreat, and as Link's men were gradually worn down. Suddenly, what little discipline there was among the soldiers of fortune gave out, and they retreated in groups. Link's line was a little thinner, but still strong.

Rauru couldn't weave such a complex spell this quickly. He had hoped Ganondorf's army could have held on a little longer. The Zora were marshalling a defense. They were out of their element, but still valid fighters. They recklessly charged Link's army, throwing themselves at them with a wrath unimaginable. Still, Link's marched onwards, driving the Zora back. A field of gore stretched behind the ranks of the Forsaken, trampled corpses and broken weapons.

Link's army met difficulty crossing the rock wall. Although crude, it was sturdily constructed, and rebels, mercenaries, and Zora valiantly held it. Link was in the center of the carnage, cleaving bone and flesh. He slashed downwards, leaving a horrific gash in a mercenary, starting from his throat and ending at his stomach. The screams of battle were all consuming. To one of the front lines, the world seemed to glow either the grey of steel or the crimson of blood. Enemies were faceless animals, not real people. Such is the nature of war.

Leaving a Zora in a pool of his own pale green blood, Link looked up, to the apex of the Ziggurat. Through the fog of war and rain of arrows, he saw Rauru, carefully weaving a spell. Ancient symbols began to glow along the side of the Ziggurat. They are universally understood by those who examine them even for a short while, for they are the code of the universe, which defines everyone, everything, everywhere. Rauru was forming a ball of light at the apex of the ziggurat, working a spell that could purge all Forsaken.

Link slashed through an entire division of mercenaries, charging up the Ziggurat, up almost vertical walls. Though Raura's elite guarded the great tower, they all fell before Link. Soon, the Emperor was standing behind the rebel, weaving the spell.

"Halt, rebel," said Link.

Rauru was desperate. He had researched too much, worked too hard to put it into motion, to have it come apart around him. Though he knew he could not win, Rauru drew his blade – The Master Sword. Link looked surprised.

"Not expecting a sword equal to your own, were you?" Rauru asked, smirking; "Now we can fight on even plains."

With blades drawn and minds resolved, the Emperor and the Rebel charged at one another. As the two blades clashed, their opposite energies reacted violently, throwing the two duelists across the top of the Ziggurat, as battle raged below. It was a bizarre conflict, as the two weapon's collisions sent both participants flying. Soon, both were bruised and bloody.

Though gashes and bruises covered his body, Rauru rose once more.

"You can't win, Link," said Rauru, confidently, "I have the force of prophesy on my side. You cannot triumph over what the goddesses have deemed inevitable."

Link had been bowled over again, breathless and bloody. How could this old man possibly best him?

"The weight of the inevitable is on my side," said Rauru, ever confident of his victory, "Do you understand why I win? It is because our world is bound by prophecies laid out by the goddesses. When these prophesies are violated, they will move against the offender. If they were to be violated-"

"If they were violated, the Hyrule and its neighbors would be free from the chains of prophesy," Link cut in. "All our lives, we have followed the roles of prophesy laid out for us. I tire of slavery."

With that, Link threw the runeblade with his last coil of mortality. As breath was driven from him, he saw his army valiantly fighting, for no real reason, little did they know. It was over; the Empire was passed on to the next generation.

As life faded from his grasp, he sent one string of physic energy. It was intended for one person. It did not emanate outwards from the sender, as most psychic signals do. This one snaked across to its recipient: Zelda. It was a simple message, designed to explain his last wishes.

_Zelda,_

_Our empire is safe. _

_I love you, do not forget what I do is for the good of the Empire and the destruction of all resistance. I would give anything to return to you… but I will not be bound by the chains of prophesy._

_LINK_

As the very fabric of the cosmos began to fold, deafening boom was heard. Fire snaked up from the explosion, forming a wall around Link and Rauru. The fires closed around them like a vast wave, and killed both.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** No, it isn't over yet (Did youthink it was?). Yes, Link was inspired by Arthas of Warcraft III (what are you gonna do about it?). Yes, I will write a sequel (eventually). No, Majora is not gay (I just said that to make sure you were still listening). 


	12. Survival of the Fittest

**Survival of the Fittest**

Ganondorf was smarter than most gave him credit for. He retreated the moment Link broke over the wall. Rauru couldn't do a thing abou it. Better yet,Link was dead. Mission accomplished. He would return to his fleet, and sail to Kerikan, and take over the government. He climbed over a ridge, backed by two hundred mercenaries, and looked down the coast.

Something was missing.

Ganondorf immediately saw that Saria had stolen Link's fleet and was sailing home, without Malon. This meant there were three armies and two fleets to carry them. Someone was going to be left behind, and Ganondorf intended to make sure that it wouldn't be him.

The Desert Thief set his army to a run, dashing towards his fleet. Ganondorf's fleet and Rauru's fleet were anchored close together. All Ganondorf had to do was find his fleet, protect it, and wait for the other armies to destroy each other. He would then proceed home. However, fate had other things in mind.

Malon was cursing furiously under her breath, as she thundered across the valleys and dunes of this goddess-forsaken waste. Link had sent Saria off early, as a matter of necessity. This proved to be in error, for Malon watched from a ridge as the imp-like Forsaken sailed away. Malon would kill Saria the moment she got back to Hyrule, if she made it. The cavalry stampeded over the wasteland, making a beeline for the coast. Where Kaer was, they did not know. Their only hope was escape.

Malon shot over the hill like a lightning blot. Kaer was heading from the north, hugging the coast. Ganondorf's army was marching from the south, desperate to get to the boats. Malon's horsemen rode back and forth nervously. This was would be the true final battle, deciding who be trapped in the northern wastes.

Ganondorf charged towards his fleet, but was taken wholly off guard when Malon began her assault. He drew his broadsword and swung it with the strength of gorilla, unseating a rider. He whirled around, viciously slashing a horse, sending it and its rider into the pale grey sand. He knew that his mercenaries could win, it was all a matter of moral. If he was strong, they could be too. The Thief King swung his blade back and forth, easily parrying the Light Cavalry's weapon of choice, the trident. He was about to unseat another horseman when another cry was heard.

Kaer's army was tired from the long march, but desperation fueled them. None wanted to die in this horrible waste. The formation marched down the beach, where Malon and Ganondorf were already clashing. The rebels, although terrified, remained cohesive, with an exodus in sight.

"Keep together," he shouted, frantic, "Just stay together in the square and you'll be alright." Cavalry raked past the group, occasionally pulling men out of formation. Mercenaries would run past, slashing at the group. Sometimes, their broadswords would find a hole in the wall of shields and kill for it.

Kaer wove through the formation, careful to keep everyone marching together. If anyone went to slow, they would be left behind and torn to shreds. Kaer moved to the front, when he saw Ganondorf, slashing left and right at Malon's cavalry. The Thief King whirled around, to see Kaer looking out of the rebel's formation at him.

"Why are you fighting us?" asked Kaer, "We can sail out together."

"Idiot," said Ganondorf, "I'm not going to compromise my power by having you hanging around."

"What do you mean?" asked Kaer, bewildered.

"Naïve fool," said Ganondorf. With that, he gave a mighty leap, bringing his heavy black broadsword down on a shield. It shattered, and the arm holding the shield up was broken. Kaer slashed back, but missed as Ganondorf disappeared back into the chaos. Kaer kept moving towards the boats, ordering his men to assault anyone who got too close with spears.

Malon observed from outside the battlefield. She became tired easily as her 'condition' progressed. Kosake could handle it. She circled about, when she saw Kaer's small force cutting through the battlefield. Rage began to pulse through her. She had a score to settle with the rebel. Fatigue forgotten, she raced through the battle, and sideswiped the formation. Several of them were pulled free of the formation, and were promptly cut down.

Malon was circling around, when Kosake approached her.

"Liege," he said, "we cannot win."

Malon looked at him sidelong. "We'll die anyhow," she said.

"Not if we flee onto the boats," he said, coolly, "leave these two armies to fight over one fleet."

Malon looked around. Although Ganondorf was losing men too, the Light Cavalry was not an army for attrition. Ganondorf's mercenaries could outlast Malon's army ten times over.

"We'll lose many in the retreat," Kosake continued, "but we'll be alive."

Lacking a better solution, Malon agreed.


End file.
